


Crack in the Shutters

by ishouldbeworkingrightnow (notjustalittlegirl)



Series: Close the Door On Your Way Out [3]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), The Isle of the Lost Series - Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Angst, Chad notices more than Carlos thinks he does, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash, Sad Carlos, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 12:12:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11897493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notjustalittlegirl/pseuds/ishouldbeworkingrightnow
Summary: "Over the past few weeks, Carlos de Vil had gotten to be a very good actor.His pasted-on smiles had become more convincing, his words to Jay and Evie reassuring them that yes, he was fine and no, he didn’t mind if they kissed or held hands had become less shaky. Yes, Carlos de Vil was getting better at fooling his friends into believing that he was happy and okay."Several weeks after he confesses his love to Jay, the last person Carlos expected to notice anything wrong asks him if he's alright.





	Crack in the Shutters

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to Close the Door On Your Way Out and Let Nothing Break Us. You should probably read those first before reading this, or else it won't make as much sense. 
> 
> I don't own Descendants or Isle of the Lost, all rights go to Disney and Melissa de la Cruz. I am making no money off of this, and it is purely for entertainment purposes. Please don't sue me. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Over the past few weeks, Carlos de Vil had gotten to be a very good actor. 

His pasted-on smiles had become more convincing, his words to Jay and Evie reassuring them that yes, he was fine and no, he didn’t mind if they kissed or held hands had become less shaky. Yes, Carlos de Vil was getting better at fooling his friends into believing that he was happy and okay. 

But, really, he wasn’t okay. Not when he saw the boy he loved kissing one of his best friends, or heard the words that passed between them that let him know that there was no two people better suited to take care of and love each other than his friends Jay and Evie. 

Carlos usually went right back to his and Jay’s room after tourney practice, to clean up before spending time with his friends. He had been spending a lot more time with Ben lately, just because it was always so hard to face Jay. The sons of Cruella and Jafar were still friends, there was nothing that would ever stop them from being friends, but it had been nearly impossible for Carlos to look his best friend in the eyes when he knew that he would never love him back. 

He knew it was taking a toll on Jay, as it was taking a toll on him, but he couldn’t find it in himself to truly remedy that until he could find a way to get rid of these unwanted feelings.  

Putting one foot in front of the other towards his dorm, hoping that he would beat Jay back and get a few minutes alone, he heard footsteps on the grass and saw a head of blond hair coming towards him. Carlos groaned under his breath, automatically annoyed and hoping that the prince’s determined strides meant that he was just really in a hurry to get back to his room, not trying to catch up with Carlos and have some sort of conversation. 

No such luck. 

“Hey, de Vil!” Carlos hadn’t really meant to stop walking and let Chad talk to him, but Chad had already overtaken him and was blocking his path. To avoid a conversation, he would have to purposefully walk around the son of Cinderella and keep going. And that would be just rude enough to make Chad dislike him and his friends even more. 

“Hey, Chad.” 

Carlos looked up and met the other boy’s eyes. Surprisingly, there was no malice or mocking on Chad’s face, not like there usually was whenever he looked at or spoke to the children of the villains. That fact made Carlos wonder what in Auradon Chad could possibly want from him. If it was homework help, Evie was the one to ask. Tourney pointers? If Chad was truly humble enough to ask for that kind of help (unlikely), then he would ask Ben or Jay, not Carlos. Advice of any other kind? Lonnie or Jane. Again, not Carlos. So, really, if Chad wasn’t going to mock him, then why was he stopping him from returning to his room and taking a shower?

The two boys looked at each other, neither speaking. Carlos made a move to go around Chad, but then the other boy moved to stay in front of him, apparently finally remembering what he had stopped Carlos to say. 

“Carlos,” he said, and the son of Cruella realized that this was the first time he’d ever heard Chad use his first name. That fact alone made him stop, and Chad put a hand on Carlos’s arm. Carlos moved to jerk it back, out of Chad’s reach, but Chad’s grip was tight, and he was stronger than Carlos. He gave Chad a look of confusion, wondering what in Auradon the other boy was doing. 

Chad led Carlos by the arm back onto the field, which had emptied of people by this time, and the two boys sat down on the bleachers together. Chad let go of Carlos’s arm, and Carlos pulled it quickly towards his chest to stop Chad from trying to take it again, a movement that didn’t go unnoticed by Cinderella’s son. Chad’s face flashed briefly with some sort of emotion that Carlos couldn’t identify. 

“What do you want, Chad?” 

Carlos knew his voice was harsh and hostile, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Chad, surprisingly, didn’t respond negatively to his tone, instead answering the question in an even and concerned voice. 

“Are you okay, Carlos?” 

The question gave Carlos pause. He didn’t know that Chad paid attention to him enough to notice that anything was wrong, much less cared enough to ask. Chad didn’t like him, didn’t like his friends. There was no reason why he should be asking Carlos if he was okay, unless he wanted to get him to spill his guts so he would have ammunition to tease him and rumors to spread around the school.  

Carlos shrugged, and didn’t answer any further than that, hoping that Chad would just leave him alone. That wasn’t the case, as Chad didn’t get off the bleachers and make his way back towards the school, instead crossing his arms and trying to meet Carlos’s eyes, despite the other boy’s resistance.  

“You’re not, are you?” 

Carlos still didn’t answer, even though part of him wanted to just talk, to tell someone about all the pain inside his heart, someone who wouldn’t worry about him and wonder what they were doing wrong, if they could help, why he wasn’t coming to them to talk. As much as he loved Ben and Mal, they would worry about him to no end if he admitted how sad he still was. And telling Jay or Evie that he still cried at night was absolutely out of the question. 

He shrugged again, and Chad rolled his eyes in disbelief.  

“You and Jay used to always be attached at the hip. Now you two barely talk. What happened?” 

Wow. Chad must have been far, far more observant than Carlos had ever known, and somehow the fact that the son of Cinderella had noticed that he and his best friend weren’t talking as much as they used to was what broke his stubborn resistance. 

“I love him, and he doesn’t love me.” 

There was silence after Carlos spoke, and immediately he regretted it. He had just told Chad, of all people, that he was in love with Jay. Why the hell had he done that? Now Chad knew, and he could spread it all around Auradon Prep that Carlos de Vil wasn’t even able to get the love of a fellow villain kid. And if he couldn’t get that, then there was no way anyone else would ever love him. 

All these thoughts were flying through Carlos’s head and making his throat tighten and tears spring to his eyes for what must have been the millionth time since he had first confessed his love to Jay. 

“I’m so sorry, Carlos.” 

At first, Carlos thought he had misheard. But then, he looked up into Chad’s eyes and saw true regret and sadness there, an expression that looked unfamiliar on the prince’s face. Unfamiliar, but not unwelcome. 

Tentatively, Chad reached a hand forward and placed it on Carlos’s shoulder, rubbing it softly. Just as nervously, Carlos moved so he was sitting on the same bench as Chad. 

“Thanks, Chad.” 

Carlos gave him a watery smile, and Chad smiled back brightly, as if Carlos smiling at him and thanking him was the best thing that could have happened to him. 

“Of course, no problem. And, by the way, Jay is an idiot. You… You’re actually kind of wonderful. Sorry I’ve been a dick to you.” 

Carlos wanted to jump in and defend Jay, tell Chad that his friend wasn’t an idiot for falling in love with Evie instead of with him, but decided against it when he remembered that Chad was actually trying to make him feel better, not insult Jay.

Also, Chad was blushing. For some reason, the sight made Carlos’s heart melt in his chest a little bit, and for the moment he was watching the blood flood the prince’s cheeks he wasn’t thinking of Jay. 

“I forgive you. And, thanks again for… this.” 

They smiled at each other again, and then got up together and headed back towards the dormitories, chattering about nonsense, Carlos de Vil feeling happier in the blond boy’s company than he had in a long time.  

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
